“Yes sir.” Kaelan dipped his head. “Thank you, sir. And… again, it’s okay, if not. I’ll make do as long as Talia is safe. She’s just a kid; she belongs home with Da.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"So are you," he pointed out. "Like I said, I'll manage it. I've wormed my ways out of more difficult situations." There was a knock on his door, and he looked up, frowning. Bay shouldn't be back already. "Who is it?" "Emery." "Ah." Gaius rose. "Excuse me one moment, Kaelan."
Bay led the girls one by one to three rooms on the fifth floor, each beside each other. "The apothecary Sera will be up with clothes for you soon," he said with a nod.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“Yes sir.” Kaelan dipped his head and stepped to the side hoping to be out of the way.
“Thank you, sir.” Talia nodded to him. “Is… is there anything we should do in the mean time?”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Gaius took his cane and limped to the door, cracking it open. Emery was pacing in front of it, giving him a nervous look. "Who were they?" he asked. "Those girls. They looked--" "They were 'gifts,'" Gaius replied softly, lowering his voice so Kaelan couldn't hear. "From Makata. I've taken care of it. Bay is getting them settled upstairs, they won't come to any harm, Emery. I swear it." "They're so young," Emery said, voice shaking. "I know." He dipped his head. "I was about to send for escorts. Perhaps you'd take Talia? She's the youngest of them. Terran will know which room she's in, as will Sera." Emery nodded quickly. "Please." "Let Sera see to them, wait in the infirmary and then go." "Alright." Emery took a trembling breath. "Thank you, Gaius." "I'll talk to you soon, Emery. Go on." Once Emery had departed, he shut the door.
Bay shrugged. "Just wait here and rest, I suppose. There should be a book or two in here." The room was one of the smaller ones but it still had a queen sized bed covered in fur blankets. A fireplace was in the corner, and a wardrobe was cross from the bed along with a desk.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Kaelan realized quickly he wasn’t meant to hear the conversation and busied himself looking at one of Gaius’s shelves. Not that he could read. But he still liked looking at all the books.
“Okay.” Talia nodded, glancing at the room. Her stomach rumbled but she hoped he didn’t hear; that’d be embarrassing. “Thank you, sir. This seems very nice and cozy.”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Gaius turned back, limping back to his desk and sitting down. "So now we have a short time to wait while Captain Bay gets things going. After that I'll send you back to the barracks until after the meeting. I want you to act upset when you return. Not angry, but disturbed."
He did hear. "Most of the rooms up here are similar," he agreed. "Would you like another bowl of oatmeal sent up, now that those two aren't hawking you?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“Um…” yes. She blushed. “W…would it be too much trouble? I’m not that hungry… but… um…”
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"I have an idea of what would get them to let you go, but mum's the word. You need to act subdued when you go down, so the general consensus among your fellow soldiers corroborates with what I tell the Lieutenant and the ambassador. Understand?"
"Not at all." He dipped his head. "I'll have it sent to all three of you."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"...No sir," Kaelan admitted, then realized it sounded like he was being difficult. "I-I mean, I'm willing to-- but I... I don't understand, sir. What am I supposed to say happened? Rif's gonna ask."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Just say you don't want to talk about it." He rubbed his brow wearily. "Or...here, this is what I'm thinking. I'm going to imply to the ambassador that I found you appealing and will not accept this 'gift' unless you're added in. Is that alright?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"Oh..." He blushed and wrinkled his nose despite himself. It was just an alibi. One to buy his safety. He dipped his head. "Yes, sir... that should work." Plenty of horror to channel into that.
Talia smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Good. Do with that what you will." He sighed heavily. "I suspect that should convince them and sufficiently taint my reputation down South."
Bay nodded to her and, almost imperceptibly, returned the smile beneath his mustache. "Be well." He shut the door and left.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Talia turned towards her room and wandered around for a moment, then flopped down on the bed and starfished out. This whole huge bed, just for her. Incredible. She then heaped blankets on top of herself, feeling a lot more secure than she had with the gazes of all the strange men on her. It was too bad she couldn't grow fur of her own to shield her chest -- bet no one would want to touch her then.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Eventually Sera came up and knocked on the door of the first girl.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Talia sprang upright, blushing guiltily. "Sir?" She gathered up the furs she'd accidentally knocked on the ground.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
